I'm listening to some of our new STEM Teaching students talk about what their teachers did to make them good teachers, why the teachers connected with students.
The students in class outside my office are describing all of the usual things: inspiring, caring, funny, personable. And they're describing things that certain teachers did -- making jokes, welcoming students to their room at any time, requiring students to ask each other for help before asking the teacher.
It makes me think back to some of my own teachers who inspired me, who challenged me, who fought FOR me, who made me a better me. I think of the teachers who inspired my love of writing, I think of the teachers who gave me the avenues to excel in math, and the ones who let me come back to their classrooms to work with younger students (the advantage of attending school where grades K-12 were on the same campus). I think of the teachers who were frustrated for me when I failed standardized tests by one point (it's okay, it didn't count for graduation!), and the ones who were more than just teachers and became pieces of my family.
I think of the teachers who made me feel comfortable as a transfer student in high school just by being welcoming and personable. I think of the teachers who were thrilled at the prospect of having me on their student team before school started, before they even knew me. I think of the teachers who made learning fun with projects and role play and the freedom for me to steer the direction of my studies. I think of the teachers who recognized my dedication to certain areas and allowed me to continue down those paths. I think of the teachers who gave me permission to miss their class for the sake of another.
I think of the teachers who saw my leadership potential and forced me out of my comfort zone. The teachers who knew they could depend on me to get a job done, but cut me a smidgeon of slack when it came down to the wire because they knew how involved I was in various activities. I think of the teachers who wrote countless letters of recommendation for scholarships and eventually graduate school.
I think of the teachers I chat with in the grocery store, or have dinner with. I think of the teachers who are in my family of colleagues, the teachers who continue to work with K-12 students, the ones who invite me to continue to be involved with their community.
I think of how inspiring my college students are for myself, their professors, and especially for the students they work with. Right now in our introductory classes students don't have the chance to form strong bonds with K-12 students because their interactions are so quick, but next year they'll have the chance to form some real bonds with students as they work in classrooms.
I think of how inspiring our mentor teachers (practicing classroom teachers) are for our students. They are willing to give up multiple blocks of time each week for our students to invade their classroom, teach random (but somewhat connecting to the rest of class) lessons. These teachers often give up their prep time after school to work with our students, which as many teachers can attest, that time is precious and not easily given up. The results though? Those are amazing! I love the progression of their answers as the students come back from each lesson: "It was okay." "It was better than the first lesson, but we have a little bit of work to do for next time." "We finally got the kinks worked out and it went great!"
THIS is why I teach, why I advise, why I strive to inspire and be inspired in return. My 2018 OLW (One Little Word) is going to be inspire, so here's to inspiring and being inspired in many ways.
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